The intention of the Arboretum Britannicum is to lessen these evils by exposing them, and by enabling those nurserymen who will take the trouble, to distinguish in their catalogues what are species and varieties, and what are synonymes; and, above all, to enable them to put the authorities to all their names. Were nurserymen to do this correctly, which they might do from the Arboretum Britannicum, the evil would be less enormous; because the purchaser, by means of the work mentioned, would be able to get at the history of the plant. The most desirable object, however, would be to establish the same nomenclature throughout all the nurseries in the British dominions, and more especially in all the public gardens. Were this done, a correct nomenclature would soon become general among every class of persons who paid any attention to trees and shrubs. It will not be denied, we think, that, in the Arboretum Britannicum, we have attained as great a degree of correctness in nomenclature, as can well be done with the existing state of living specimens in the country; and we have, therefore, no hesitation in saying that it would be a great improvement in what may be called the practical nomenclature of the trees and shrubs of Britain, if that given in our work were followed. Let it be observed, that we have given no new names, but merely selected one as preferable, from the numerous synonymes already applied to the same plants; and, therefore, we are not asking the public to adopt names which we have coined, but merely to agree in all adopting the names which we have selected from those already in use.
